With You
by ShironoOkami
Summary: Follow the lives of Shuutoku's light and shadow from their fated middle school meeting, right through to ripe old age. Their relationship develops as it is tried and tested through joys, through sorrows, and everything else in between.
1. The Starting Point: Takao Kazunari

Hey, everyone! I have to say, I'm really, really excited to finally start on this drabble series! It's been stewing in my head since March or so, and now I've only just got time to get it started! MidoTaka is my OTP (never had one before), and I ship them so hard that it _hurts! _The feels, I tell you, the feels! I'm sure plenty of others feel the same way-they're just made for each other, aren't they?! But enough spazzing. This series will be of various lengths and ratings, and although I have the ending all planned out, it's going to be quite a long way from it so yeah... Maybe it won't ever end? XP

Anyways, enjoy! I hope you have as much fun reading as I did writing! Also, I don't own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters.

"'_Sup! Midorima Shintarou! I'm Takao Kazunari."_

**The Starting Point: Takao Kazunari**

To be honest, it was really just a simple introduction. He wanted to be known towards the man he swore to defeat. He wanted to be seen. And in the end, recognized. But now was not the time yet, no. Really though, who the hell would've thought? Fate must really be enjoying her free time.

Kazunari heaved a slight sigh, feeling every muscle, tendon, and sinew in his body throb in pain as he shifted in his seat. He muttered a light curse, narrowing his eyes at the sensation. No, not enough. He still had to train. Train harder, stay and practice longer. At this point, he could not—_would not_ allow himself to stand on the same court as Shin-chan yet. He lifted a hand in front of his face, reaching out. _I made a vow, Shin-chan… and I'm planning to follow through with it._

_It's too bad I can't get him to remember that one time I got my ass royally kicked by him. _Suddenly, he snorted and began to chuckle lightly to himself. _Ah, maybe that was for the better after all…?_

For him though, he'll never forget. The image of the basketball soaring high, higher and higher. The muscles of his neck burning as he continued to watch the arc of the shot—never blinking, even as the court lights glared into his eyes from above. The final, almost whispered 'swish' of the net as the ball fell through.

He'll never forget the brilliance of that green.


	2. The Starting Point: Midorima Shintarou

And here's the second piece! I'm sorry if they seem boring and as if there's nothing new at the moment, but I wanted to write from the beginning. They're more introspective than anything else really. As we progress further, I will describe certain events from the manga as well, so I apologize in advance if you find those not to your liking as well!

Thanks for reading! ^^

_My first impression of Takao wasn't favourable at all._

**The Starting Point: Midorima Shintarou**

They were in the same class, and as luck would have it, the frivolous man was sitting right in front of him. Really, who did he think he was? Calling him by the excessively familiar nickname, laughing at every second action he took. Shintarou had half a mind to stuff the other's mouth with something within reach, but he honestly doubted whether it would help at all. This thought occurred to him everyday.

He wondered briefly about the time Takao mentioned. The days at Teikou flitted before his eyes while he contemplated. They had won so many times, so many times. It was all a blur, those days. Just how many spirits did they crush along the way? Just how much despair did they deliver as they plowed forward, towards the eternal victory that was constantly advocated? What sort of expression did Takao wear as he lost so badly to them? At this point, he couldn't even anything other than the trademark grin that constantly graced Takao's sharp features.

But he wasn't all that unobservant. He noticed the other always still in the court when he finally decided that it was enough shooting practice for the day. He raised his eyebrow at Takao staggering into class three days out of five, just before homeroom started, wiping off the sweat from his bangs. He saw how Takao's legs trembled from exhaustion each day they finished training.

_A roaring pass, huh…?_ Shintarou's hand raised to push up the bridge of his glasses, and in doing so, he hid the ghost of a smile that decorated his lips.


	3. The Starting Point: Rickshaw

Hey guys! Here's the next drabble. This description of how their rickshaw thing started is actually canon, translated from the PSP game released for Kuroko no Basket. I did the translation myself, and the drabble bits are the first and last portions of this chapter. I shall try to make updates once a week, and hopefully, I'll stick to that. This one took longer cause this is the first time I have actually tried to translate something. You can view the event on Youtube (link is on my profile because Doc Manager won't freaking let me post it here).  


Being the MidoTaka fangirl I am, I didn't stop squealing till long after the video. Haha! From the next chapter onwards, it shall mostly be original material thought out of my head. I apologize again if it's boring, but I really wanted to focus on the everyday aspect of their bond, not just the monumental 'I really, really like you moments'. Enjoy~!

"_I wouldn't mind going if there was a rickshaw I could ride on!"_

**The Starting Point: Rickshaw**

Kazunari gritted his teeth together, tightening his grip on the handles which were now slick with sweat. His nostrils flared as he exhaled loudly through his nose, knitting his brows even further. _Just a little more… Kugh… Just. One. More. Ste—!_

"Fwah! Made it!" Kazunari let out a sigh, partly out of relief, but mostly out of exhaustion.

Behind him, Shin-chan raised a delicate eyebrow, "It's dangerous to stop in the middle of the road, Takao."

"Geez, cut me some slack, Shin-chan!" Kazunari exclaimed, pointing to the direction from which they came from. "I had to drag the rickshaw, you, and myself up that damn hill! Do you know how heavy you are with that big body of yours?! Combined with this thing, I'm amazed I'm still alive!" He wiped the sweat off his forehead with flourish.

Shin-chan glanced at him through the corner of one eye, calmly sipping from a can of cold _shiruko_.

"It's good training."

"Yeah, I suppose." Kazunari shrugged in feigned nonchalance before whipping around to point an accusing finger at his green-haired companion. "Only, training I didn't ask for!"

"You always complain too much, Takao. If you don't start pedaling again soon, we're going to be wasting even more time." Shin-chan said, without so much a hint of compassion.

"Aye-aye, O' glorious Ace-sama," Kazunari let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Why am I doing this on a Saturday afternoon of all things…?"

"Hmph. That's because you lost at rock-paper-scissors again. Also, that store is the only store where we'll find Cancer's lucky item for today."

_Pfft. That wasn't really what I was asking, Shin-chan. _Kazunari heaved a breath before willing his heavy legs to move. _Ah~ This must be youth, huh? I seriously have too much time on my hands. How did this rickshaw thing even—_

* * *

"Oh, there he is." Kazunari skidded to a quick stop after spotting the all-familiar colour. "Shin-chan! Oi, Shin-chan!"

The other teen continued to shoot threes, showing no sign of hearing him.

"Shiiin-chaan!" He drew the name out into a whine, knowing that it annoyed the shooting guard. "Are you deaf? Can you hear me? Oi! Shin-chan!"

Said person finally turned to his direction, and began to slowly make his way over.

"You're so noisy." Shin-chan muttered, looking quite displeased. "I heard you from the first time."

Then again, when does he not have that mildly sour, butter-wouldn't-melt-in-his-mouth expression?

"You could've at least responded!" Kazunari pouted, crossing his arms.

"I was simply dumbfounded by your idiocy, with you shouting repeatedly like that." Shin-chan pushed up the bridge of his glasses—_the_ signature gesture. "Well, I already figured something like this would happen. Cancers are ranked 11th today after all."

"What on earth are you going on about?"

"Oha-Asa's daily rankings for star signs. Their predictions are truly accurate."

"You actually believe in that sort of—wait, I didn't come here to talk about your horoscope obsession."

"Indeed. You still have not explained why you stopped me in the middle of my shooting practice."

Kazunari's lips pulled into a feral grin, the light of mischief dancing in his eyes, "I've got a juicy tidbit for ya. Kaijou High is having a practice match with Seirin High tomorrow. Haven't heard much about Seirin at all, but there's one of your kind in Kaijou, isn't there?" He sniggered as Shin-chan frowned slightly at his choice of words. "Thought you might be interested, so I kindly came all the way here just to tell you."

Kazunari watched the other contemplate, bemused. He was taking longer than expected to mull over this.

"Shin-chan?" He prodded, curious.

"I might go and watch." Was the reply.

"Kaijou, I suppose?" Kazunari drawled.

"There is no particular team that I am going to watch specifically. Besides, there is also another Teikou regular that has joined Seirin's team."

"Really?" Kazunari's eyes widened at that. "Damn, things are getting even more interesting now!"

"Don't be late tomorrow then."

"Huh? Wait, what? I'm going too?!"

Shin-chan looked at him, incredulous, "You don't want to?"

"Well, if it's Kaijou yeah… But not really for Seirin. I'm not going that far just for the sake of a practice match. It's too troublesome." He huffed, the action ruffling the ebony bangs that fell in front of his eyes.

"You're quite the unsociable one, aren't you?"

"I really don't want to hear that from you, Shin-chan." Kazunari muttered lowly. "Oh, but Iwouldn't mind going if there was a rickshaw I could ride on!"

"…That's an unusual condition. It seems rather one-sided though." Shin-chan's deft fingers came up to hold his chin. "How about deciding who gets to ride the rickshaw by rock-paper-scissors? The loser will have to pull."

"Ha…" Kazunari blinked thrice in quick succession. "That was unexpected."

_Of Shin-chan especially. _He disguised the chortle that slipped out as a snort.

"Nn?" Shin-chan had an eyebrow raised at him, questioning.

"Nope, it's nothing! Don't worry about it!" Kazunari flapped a dismissive hand. "But the part about the rickshaw was a joke, y'know."

His words were met with a blank, expectant stare.

"Ah, whatever. Sounds like fun! I'll tag along on that condition then! You better not regret those words, Shin-chan!" Kazunari smirked, eager for the challenge.

Although, really. It was only rock-paper-scissors. But so what? They were young high school students with plenty of free time after all.

"Hmph. I could say those words right back at you."

* * *

…_right. That was how all this started. _Kazunari's eye twitched as he reminisced on how he became Shin-chan's personal driver. _On hindsight, was that his way of saying he wanted me to come along? Haha! Shin-chan, you're such a tsundere it's unbelievable!_

He didn't realize he had fallen asleep in the midst of his memories whilst still on the bicycle ("You go on ahead and buy your lucky item, Shin-chan! I'm going to sit here and recover from that two kilometer climb.") until something cold touched the back of his neck.

"Wah!" He was jolted—not-so-nicely—from his catnap. "What the hell? What was that for, Shin-chan?!" He whined, rubbing the spot furiously to be rid of the sensation.

"We're going." The other said simply, tossing something to him.

"So fast?" He caught the item with ease.

"You slept for half an hour, you idiot."

"Whoa, no shit!" Kazunari checked his watch, stuffing whatever it was into his pocket. "Right-o. Let's go then!"

"How are you going to drink while pedaling?"

"Huh? What are you—," Kazunari's hand automatically went for his pocket.

It was a can of juice. He glanced back up at the usual, stoic Shin-chan. The only difference was that he was now clearly making an effort to avoid Kazunari's inquisitive gaze.

"I pressed the wrong button on the vending machine. Wastage should be avoided when possible. And I don't drink juice." He explained stiffly.

A lazy, lopsided smile crept slowly across Kazunari's face.

"As you wish, Ace-sama."


	4. The Team's Moodmaker

Ugh, sorry folks. Had an exam last week and thus, only one drabble was produced so far. I have another one in mind, so you guys will be getting two next week, seeing I will have a bit of a break from classes. Thanks for reading~

_I suppose I can now somewhat see why he was named 'Kazunari'._

**The Team's Moodmaker**

"Oi, Midorima!" Miyaji barked, voice tight. "Are you even listening to me?! You better be, damn first year brat, else I'm gonna run you over!"

"I have been listening, senpai." Shintarou replied coolly, not moving to lower his head even the slightest.

Well, it wasn't as if he was doing anything wrong. Granted, he had ignored the instructions for team practice and had gone off to shoot his daily quota of three-pointers. However, this was what he usually did.

Yet, why on earth was he getting so much bite for it?

"Midorima." Ootsubo approached them calmly from the other side of the court—he had been keeping an eye on the both of them for a while now. "Why didn't you follow the coach's instructions? We were supposed to practice our footwork and positioning today as a team."

"Team?" Shintarou raised his head at the word, the light reflecting off the lens of his glasses. "Are you saying that if we all play nice and cooperate with each other, that we are guaranteed victory?"

"Wha—!" Miyaji balked, clearly taken aback by the question.

"I don't believe footwork and positioning exercises will be beneficial to me right now. I will continue with my shooting and contribute towards winning from there. It should be no problem if the end result is the same." He pushed the bridge of his glasses up.

Really, he just wanted to go back to shooting instead of wasting time and energy on this debate. At that, Shintarou grew slightly puzzled. _That's right. Since when did these conflicts last so long? All the yelling should have quieted down by now._

"Why you little— Kimura!" Miyaji's entire face reddened, his fists trembling.

Said person, who had been listening close by, and also not liking the situation one bit came over with a not-so-friendly glint in his eyes, "How many do you want?"

"A whole crate. I don't give a shit if they're ripe or not. Hell, pick pineapples that will hurt the most!" He ground out his reply through gritted teeth.

"Well, whether or not it benefits you, the coach has said that it will be just team practice today. Unless the coach says otherwise, you are not to do any individual practice, do you hear?" Ootsubo interjected, in a tone that left no space for argument.

If you were any other person aside from Midorima Shintarou, that is.

"I disagree. This practice is not worth losing two hours of fine-tuning my accuracy." He drew his brows together, refusing to budge.

This was getting more and more ridiculous. Minutes were ticking away and here they were, fighting over practice regimes.

"Dammit! What is up with your fucking attitude?!" Miyaji spat, absolutely livid, with his hand shooting out to grab a fistful of the other's shirt.

"I think you'll need more than just pineapples, Miyaji." Kimura narrowed his eyes. "Recently, an exotic fruit just came in—the _durian_. That would be more appropriate for now."

"Miyaji, Kimura—cool it." Ootsubo placed a hand on Miyaji's shoulder, his penetrating gaze meeting Shintarou's forest green. "Look, I don't care what your reasons are for refusing to participate in team practice but the coach has specifically told us to do these exercises today, and so, we _will_ be doing them. Understood?"

"…Yes." The shooting guard answered stiffly, reluctantly complying.

_Very _reluctantly.

Not entirely satisfied, Miyaji released his grasp with a small noise of disgust before storming off to the other side of the court. Kimura followed suit, equally as angry.

"Also, you better watch how speak to your seniors, Midorima. Even if the coach is accommodating of you, I do not condone disrespect in this team, no matter who you are." Oostubo reprimanded with a glare, before heading off to join the former two.

Midorima heaved yet another low sigh, trying to fight off an emerging headache. The regulars of Shuutoku went through their practice in frosty silence, the tension in the air so thick that it was almost suffocating. Though it'd probably be at this point that Takao would be trying (and failing) to swallow peals of laughter, despite the intense scolding that he had just received. But the noisy fellow was off for a day with his family, visiting a distant relative who had recently been admitted to the hospital. This led him to believe that today would be quieter than usual.

But it was most obviously not.

…

_Ah, so it was him._

All those times, jumping right in the midst of scuffles like these. He was always going: "Sorry, sorry, Miyaji-san! We'll come right away!" or "Pfft. Haha! Really, Shin-chan? There should be a limit to your self-confidence! It's absolutely hilarious!". Everyday had variations of the first two statements. And on days when he didn't say anything, his utterly random, and not to mention, ridiculously annoying "Gyahaha!"s would have cut through the prickling atmosphere like a knife through butter, never failing to dissolve it.

As Shintarou stayed behind once more to shoot the threes he did not get to shoot earlier on, he began to wonder if the frivolous point guard's constant presence around him could actually be deemed a good thing.

P.S. For those of you who don't know, the meaning of Takao's first name, Kazunari, is 'builds harmony'. And it fits him PERFECTLY.


	5. The Unbelievable Ace-sama

OK, I know I did promise an update a week, and I have been working to that. It's just, last week there was no update because even though I had already written the drabble, I still thought that there was something about it that wasn't entirely right and I didn't want to post up something that was half-assed. So I mulled over it for a week, made one change, and decided to put it up at last. Hope it doesn't disappoint. If it does, I apologise. =( Also, I decided to follow the manga by making Takao's eyes orange instead of the silvery blue colour that he had in the anime. It seemed more... fitting? Orange = Shuutoku? Lol. XD

_He's a bit weird, but it's somehow impossible to hate him._

**The Unbelievable Ace-sama**

"Shin-chan, you _cannot_ be serious." Kazunari sputtered, absolutely dumbfounded.

The green-haired teen stared coolly back at him, unfazed.

"Why on earth do we have to go to _this _particular shrine at _this _particular time of the day to _this _particular dispenser to get your lucky item?!" Kazunari exclaimed, so exasperated he was nearly at a loss for words. "Aren't fortune slips pretty much the same no matter where you get them from? There was a shrine just ten minutes from your place!"

"Hmph. And that is why you are no good _nanodayo_." Shin-chan harrumphed, right hand coming up to push the bridge of his glasses, left handholding the small slip of white paper.

Kazunari gave a long, exhausted sigh. _Can't believe that I got dragged out at 8am on a Saturday for this. And what did he say again? Ah, that's right: "I needed a lift to the station, and since you're already come this far, you might as well follow."_ He stifled a yawn that followed soon after, one that was so big that it brought tears to the corners of his eyes. _What the hell am I? His slave? Geez, the things I have to put up with. _ His gaze, the colour of a blazing sunset, fell upon Shuutoku's current ace, nonchalantly taking in the enormous figure. _Well. _

"So, after going through _all_ that trouble, what does it say?" Kazunari rested the back of his head on his hands, coming up to peer from Shin-chan's side.

Because obviously, he would not be able to peer over the giant's shoulder.

(There were times he found himself questioning what the other ate, but Shin-chan's diet were surprisingly normal. Occasionally, Kazunari would even be able to eat more than him, but that probably only happened whenever they visited a Korean restaurant).

The words 'bad luck' were displayed across the top of the slip.

"Pfft." Kazunari's shoulders began to shake violently as he swiftly turned away.

But he gave up anyways.

"Gyahahahahaha! What the hell is up with that, Shin-chan?!" He held his heaving stomach, forcing out the words between breaths. "You would've though after putting in that much effort, you'd get a 'half luck' at the very least."

"You're a fool, Takao. This is to be expected." Shin-chan resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the other who looked very much like he was having a fit. "According to Oha-Asa, Cancers are ranked 7th today, so their reading is naught but accurate. Since I have acquired my lucky item for the day—,"

"I have more than compensated for my bad luck _nodayo~_" Kazunari sing-songed, smirking as he did so.

The other frowned in displeasure, "Do not mock me."

"Whatever you say, Ace-sama." He gave a light shrug of his shoulders, stifling his remaining chuckles. "So, do we go back now? The sun's beginning to set."

"That's not surprising, considering how long we took to get here."

Kazunari gasped in feigned hurt, and then proceeded to pout, "That was mean, Shin-chan! I sacrificed my almost three-quarters of my Saturday for you!"

"Which you would have used to sleep in and play video games for the rest of it." Shin-chan snorted, heading over to a nearby vending machine.

"That's called being a teenager, Shin-chan. Not everyone's obsessed with horoscopes and fortunes like you are." Kazunari deadpanned, following him. "Hey, at least treat me to a drink!" He whined, seeing Shin-chan get just the usual _shiruko_.

"Get it yourself." He retorted, settling down in front of a large pine tree.

His curt response was met with low grumbling, "How cold…"

The wind rustled gently through the leaves, dancing across their faces and ruffling their hair. The Shinto bells behind them rattled noisily as the breezes blew past, creating an atmosphere of calm. It was a small shrine, so few people were on its grounds, enjoying the nice evening out. Kazunari joined the stoic ace, downing large gulps from his own canned drink. They sat there in companionable silence (one of the extremely rare occasions) for a while, before he spoke up.

"You know, Shin-chan…" Kazunari looked at him with one eye, grinning faintly. "You're pretty unbelievable—OK, you're usually unbelievable enough already—but on some days, you're incredibly unbelievable. I mean, people don't normally do this on Saturday mornings."

Shin-chan looked at him questioningly, no doubt evaluating his sanity, "I merely do the best I can. If you can't even do that, how can you expect to receive anything in return?"

It was this stream of constant unpredictability that led to Kazunari tagging along at Shin-chan's heels day after day after day. The other may have his routines, but that in no way meant that he was predictable, oh no. He watched, with hands in his pockets, Shin-chan walk towards a counter that was open some ways from where they were sitting after they had disposed of their cans. His expression was one of mild curiosity as the other came back with something held in his right hand. Shin-chan silently stretched his hand out and opened it.

"Geh! A voodoo doll?!" Kazunari did a double take, eyeing the object suspiciously.

And of course Shin-chan would give this helpless sigh that implied Kazunari did not understand the significance of whatever he just did.

"It's Scorpio's lucky item for today." He explained shortly, his head turned to look towards what was left of the setting sun.

"Ha…" Kazunari received the 'gift' with guarded reservation.

Wait.

Was there…?

Was there a slight tinge of red across the tips of his ears?

"Shin-chan… could this be your _tsundere_ way of saying thanks, by any chance?" Kazunari drew his query into a lazy drawl, orbs filled with a mischievous light.

One that guaranteed hours and hours of merciless teasing.

"Don't be stupid. I was buying it for my little sister, but it was the wrong size." Shin-chan's reaction to the question was a _bit_ too quick there. "She wanted the large one."

_He's sensitive._

But he'd lay off for the day.

_And as willful as anything._

There would be plenty of opportunities for teasing tomorrow—even if there wasn't, he'd just make some anyways—and he _really w_asn't sure if he wanted to know why exactly that Shin-chan's little sister wanted a large-sized voodoo doll.

_But he works harder than anyone, all for the sake of victory…_

Kazunari fiddled with the doll on their way back whilst chatting about how annoying next week's history test was going to be. After getting reproached none-too-gently of how he should have done more study, the conversation came to a lull. Kazunari stole a single glance of Shin-chan, the remnants of a smile playing on his lips.

"You know, Shin-chan, you could've just said you wanted me to come along today." He murmured, before let himself drift away into a reverie, eyelids fluttering in an effort to stay awake until he reached home.

"Hmph."

_Ah… I just can't seem to hate him after all._


	6. The Other Really Hard Worker

Seriously, gosh. All it took was one exam and one project to have my 'update once a week' to fly out the window. Gosh. I need to manage my time better of something. Here's the next one. And I hope to get another up by next week. Fingers crossed guys!

_Was there really a need to be surprised about you making the team?_

**The Other Really Hard Worker**

"Ugh… Damn, I can't feel my legs." Takao lowered himself onto the floor with a trembling sigh, legs splayed. "Shin-chaaaaan, carry me~!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Takao." Shintarou huffed lightly.

Although, really, he wasn't much better off. The pain was dull, but persistent, stretching right from the balls of his feet to his thighs. The team today had focused particularly on strengthening their footwork—it was a pure hour of grueling exercises to endure on top of their regular warm ups and practice games.

Takao heaved another sigh, wiping the sheen of sweat coating his forehead, "Man, I r_eally_ want to skip clean-up duty today."

"Even though you were one of the ones who contributed the most sweat?" Shintarou gave a scoff, removing his glasses to wipe the lenses with one end of his jersey.

"Shin-chan… I think everyone sweated buckets today, including you." Takao deadpanned. "In fact, _you _contribute the most 'cause you _always_ are the last one to leave, shooting those ridiculous high-arched three pointers of yours!"

Shintarou raised an elegant eyebrow at the accusing finger, "I'm not the only one." He threw a pointed look at Takao.

"Aah~ let's just skip today, Shin-chan! No one will notice, right?" Takao pressed, stretching his hand out and untying the shoelaces of the other's right shoe. "Hey, Shin-chan, are you even listening?"

"_Takao…_" Shintarou's tone was clipped in warning, especially since Takao was undoing the other side as well.

"Oi, first-years!" Came an all-too-familiar voice of command.

"Geh, Miyaji-san!" Takao balked, as said person approached.

The third-year frowned, "What the hell was up with that reaction, Takao? I'll run you over."

"Nothing, nothing at all." The answer came immediately. "We were just gonna start wiping down the court, right Shin-chan?" Takao cringed as he stood up, feeling his joints creaking.

"Oh, no need for that. I'll be using it for a while more." Miyaji waved them off. "You guys can pack up and leave."

"Whoa, Miyaji-san! Are you serious?! You're letting us off the hook?! No, wait, r_eally_?! This is unheard of! Something good must've happened to you today, Miyaji-san. What was it, what was it? Did you maybe get… confessed to?" The shock on Takao's face was almost comical, before it shifted to a broad, cheeky grin as he tapped his index finger on his chin.

"Damn first-year brat… Do you want to do an extra ten laps round this court?" Miyaji growled, a demonic aura surrounding his presence.

"Geh! Not really… But it's almost completely dark already! And you don't live particularly close-by either…" Takao exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.

Shintarou gazed thoughtfully at Miyaji for a split second longer before he nodded his head in acknowledgement. He began to walk in the direction of the locker rooms, followed by an unusually silent Takao (and no, he was definitely not complaining), seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

They began their journey back home, taking in breaths of the cool spring night side-by-side, steps in time with the crickets that filled in the darkness with their rhythmic calls. A lone animal wandered the streets some distance in front of them, its eyes flashing a brilliant gold amidst the black surroundings. The sky was clear, dotted with only one or two clouds that obscured patches of stars between the roofs of houses. It wasn't about until halfway through their walk back when Takao piped up.

"All our seniors are really amazing, aren't they?" He hummed, holding the back of his head as they walked. "I can't believe I'm in such an awesome team!"

"Hmph." Shintarou pushed his glasses up. "Self-praise would not get you anywhere."

"Wha-? Shin-chan's such a meanie! I wasn't praising myself!"

"You say that, yet you're a regular yourself." Shintarou rolled his eyes.

Takao chuckled softly, shaking a flippant hand, "Sometimes I'm surprised I am, y'know."

Shintarou suddenly stopped in his tracks, and stared at him incredulously, "Why would you be?"

The look of utter confusion was plastered all across Takao's face, "Huh?"

Shintarou frowned back, confused for a different reason entirely, "Why would you be?"

At that, Takao just grew even more perplexed, "I don't get what you mean, Shin-chan."

"Like I said, there's nothing surprising about the fact you're a regular." Shintarou repeated, rather impatiently. "And this is why you should listen to people when they're talking, Takao. Honestly… that is why you're no good _nanodayo_."

The other's almond-shaped eyes widened just a fraction, before softening in both understanding and appreciation. A slow smile crept up on Takao's lips, as he rubbed the back of his head in… what was that? Embarrassment? Happiness? _It's the first time he's not had one of those stupid grins plastered across his face. _Shintarou noted fleetingly, having failed at deciphering what that expression meant, for it was gone within a span of three seconds, being replaced by one he knew too well.

"…Shin-chan, is this your _tsundere _way of telling me to have more confidence in myself perhaps?" Takao turned to him, smirking in part amusement and part mischief.

"Again, you're saying such frivolous things. I've simply stated what I've observed. That's all."

"Eh~ Shin-chan, you're no fun! Aren't you supposed to go all _dere_ and blush and avert your eyes and stutter, 'N-no, of course not!' when I asked you that? That wasn't cute at all! Boo!" He pouted, before his expression shifted to one of revelation. "Maybe you're just a _tsundere_ abnormality. A special variant—the _Shindere_!"

…

"Pfft. Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!" Takao threw his head back with laughter as he held his sore stomach. "God, I can't believe it. I just cracked myself up so bad. Gya ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Just die, Takao."


	7. That First Smile

Hello again! So sorry for being rather MIA recently. Right after catching up with life, uni decided to dump a heap of exams and assignments for the next two week, completely throwing me off my schedule. Just starting to get back onto a foothold now. I will try and get a few more out before finals, which are roughly in a month's time. But after that, I shall be much freer so more writing! Yay! Sorry you have to put up with me and enjoy~!

_"There's no way for anybody not to get sad over defeats like this!"_

**That First Smile**

Kazunari's ever-watchful eyes were settled on the larger man's frame, hands in his pockets. He had told the rest of the upperclassmen to go on ahead, and that "he'll deal with Shin-chan, no problem!" with a million-dollar grin plastered across his face. Said Shin-chan was currently speaking to someone on his phone, oblivious to the rain. He leaned against the cold surface of wet concrete, and seemed to be gazing up to the sky, expression just the slightest bit forlorn. _Something you have too much pride to show to someone else, huh, O' great Ace-sama? _

Kazunari continued observing him from a distance, under the shelter of one of the many entrances to the stadium where InterHigh was held. Rivulets of rainwater (or tears, he couldn't really tell the difference) flowed down his cheeks, chin, down, down onto the ground. _But that's OK. You go ahead and take your time, Shin-chan. _With that, he walked back to the locker room that had been reserved for Shutoku, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. Just as he sat down on the bench, the door swung open to reveal the very person he had been watching.

"Takao?" Shin-chan was perplexed. "What are you still doing here?"

"Hm? Oh, I don't know~ Waiting for a certain someone, maybe?" Kazunari had his hands at the back of his head as he sing-songed. "You're really slow, Shin-chan. Let's hurry up and go and eat!"

"Then you should have just left first." He snapped, just a fraction quicker than how he usually responded.

When Shin-chan proceeded to his designated temporary locker and opened it, his glare deepened to find it empty. He turned around, only to have his eyes meet with a simple white towel.

"Miyaji-san cleared out your locker before he left." Kazunari explained, nudging the towel once more in his direction. "He was complaining about us 'troublesome first-years' again."

Shin-chan gave the towel one last wary look before he accepted it, removing his glasses to wipe his face.

"Why?"

"Huh? What do you mean, 'why', Shin-chan?"

"Why did you wait for me?" The taller teen avoided Takao's searching look stiffly, pausing in the midst of drying himself.

"Well, why wouldn't I?" Kazunari shrugged, handing Shin-chan his sports bag next. "Don't sweat the small stuff, Shin-chan. Let's go~ I'm starving! Say, should we have okonomiyaki? Let's have okonomiyaki!"

Kazunari hummed as he walked towards the door, anticipating a nice hot meal after two tiring matches. He paused at the doorway suddenly, tilting his chin to throw Shutoku's ace another questioning look. _Is it really that difficult to believe that we do what we do because we wanted to? No matter what the rest say, Ootsubo-san, Kimura-san, and Miyaji-san acknowledge you as a member of the team. Geez, why is Shin-chan such a handful… _Kazunari heaved a mental sigh, in part frustration and part endearment.

"And it just happened that I also thought seeing a completely drenched Shin-chan would be quite the sight." He smirked, shaking his head in mock-amusement.

"Hmph. I should have thought so." Came the reply, and Shin-chan was looking much more at ease with himself again. "Go get the rickshaw then."

"Yes, yes. As you wish~"

It was only later on, after the whole 'okonomiyaki-on-the-head' fiasco, that Kazunari had finally caught his first glimpse of Shin-chan's smile. It was very short-lived, and was nearly non-existent to an untrained eye (hey, Kazunari did pride himself in being read Shin-chan's various facial expressions—it was a learned skill, OK?). And as he pedaled on into the night, bickering with Shin-chan all the way home, he thought that, maybe, that one smile was worth all that trouble.

That is, until he couldn't move his legs the next morning.


End file.
